


The Dominance of Fate

by PoeticShadows



Series: Inheritance [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Ardyn Being Ardyn, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Good Ardyn Izunia, Happy Ending, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Masturbation, Romance, Slow Burn, Sorry Not Sorry, Teen Noctis Lucis Caelum, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, War, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-24 22:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14365224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticShadows/pseuds/PoeticShadows
Summary: Tales of Dragons and their Riders were scarce in the realm of Eos. Indeed, to speak of those bygone days was to risk death. For Noctis, the Riders were a mere curiosity, something to rarely think upon, if at all. That is… until fate rolled the dice and cast him into the realm of legends, magic, and war. Now, Noctis must navigate his way through wide the world of Eos to find his destiny. Be it with the Empire or the Kingsglaive. (Based on the book Eragon with liberties taken.  You do not have to have read Eragon or know anything about it to comfortably understand this fanfic!)





	1. Discovery on a Hunt

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to The The Dominance of Fate! I sincerely hope that who ever reads this finds some entertainment in it. For those who still have questions about this story after reading my summary I hope the following will clear things up for you.
> 
> This is a crossover, but not in the sense that the FFXV characters will be meeting the characters within the inheritance cycle. This fanfic follows the base of the book Eragon with the characters of FFXV and how I imagine each character would have approached the events in the book. A remix of sorts if you will. Therefore you can read this even if you have not read Eragon.Some minor characters do keep their names from the book simply because there are not enough characters from FFXV to account for them all. 
> 
> The book is only a reference and not a rule. Expect quite a few things to be different if you are familiar with the series. Such as the fact that Ardyn is his own character. His story is completely unique. Noctis and Ardyn are the main romance pairing in this and, while their romance may take a while to build, it will very much be worth the wait. I'll try to make it as painless as possible, but it is important. 
> 
> If you still have questions then I would suggest you read the first chapter and if you still have a question then do not hesitate to leave it in a comment below.
> 
> I do not own the Inheritance cycle or Final fantasy XV. Else Ardyn would never have gotten screwed over. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only.

Noctis carefully knelt on a bed of trampled reed grass and scanned the tracks with a practiced eye. The fresh prints told him that the deer herd had been in the meadow only half an hour before. Soon they would settle down for the night. His target, a small doe with a pronounced limp in her left forefoot, was still with the herd. He was honestly amazed she had made it this far without a wolf or bear catching her.

The sky was clear and dark, stars winking merrily overhead, and a slight breeze stirred the air around him. A silvery cloud drifted over the mountains that surrounded him, its edges glowing with ruddy light cast from the harvest moon that was cradled between two peaks. Streams flowed down the mountains from solid glaciers and glistening snowpacks. A brooding mist crept along the valley’s floor, almost thick enough to obscure his boot clad feet; making it difficult to see the doe’s tracks.

Noctis was seventeen, less than a year from manhood. Raven eyebrows rested above his intense blue eyes. The dark clothes, which he was clad in were worn from work and being out in the elements. A hunting knife with a bone handle was sheathed at his belt, and a buckskin tube protected his yew bow from the mist’s moisture. He carried a wood-frame pack, which Noctis had made himself two summers ago.

The deer had led him deep into the Spine, a range of vast untamed mountains that extended up and down the land of Eos. Strange tales and folk often came from those mountains, usually boding ill. Despite that, Noctis had never feared the Spine. He and his best friend, Ardyn, were the only hunters near Galahd who dared to track game deep into its craggy recesses. Others had boasted about trying It, but none had actually attempted to follow through. It was the third night of the hunt and his food was almost half gone. If he did not fell the doe tonight, he would be forced to return home empty handed. His family needed the meat for the rapidly approaching winter and could not afford to buy it in Galahd. Which simply meant he could not fail here.

Noctis stood up with quiet assurance, the dusky moonlight filtering down around him, then he strode into the forest toward a glen where he was sure the deer would rest. Trees blocked the sky from view and cast feathery shadows on the ground; making it harder, but not impossible, to see. Thankfully Noctis only needed to look at the tracks occasionally; he knew the way.

Ardyn had been the one to teach him how to hunt. His words telling Noctis to trust his instincts rang loudly inside his head. Words which had been drilled mercilessly into his head over the years. He had only been seven years old the first time Ardyn had taken him hunting. Claiming that if you were old enough to carry a knife and shoot a small bow then you could hunt. The auburn haired man was twenty-one years his elder, but that had never stopped them from forming a strong bond of friendship that was brotherly in nature. 

This hunting trip was one of Noct’s rare excursions with just himself for company. Ardyn’s father, Bard, was Ardorian’s only smith; which meant he often needed his eldest son’s help these days. A large order of nails had come in from a local farmer who was building a new barn. Thus Noctis had undertaken this hunting trip alone. He missed the company of his older friend, but hoped to make him proud when he returned with a well chosen doe.

Once at the glen, he strung his bow with a sure touch, then drew three arrows and nocked one, holding the other two in his left hand. The moonlight shone brightly upon twenty or so motionless lumps where the deer lay in the grass. The doe he wanted was at the edge of the herd, her left foreleg stretched out awkwardly. Noctis slowly crept closer, keeping the bow ready. All his work of the past three days had led to this moment. He took a last steadying breath and—an explosion shattered the night.

The herd bolted. Cursing loudly over the noise, Noctis lunged forward, racing through the grass as a fiery wind surged past his cheek. He slid to a stop and loosed his knocked arrow at the bounding doe. It missed by a finger’s breadth and hissed into darkness. He cursed once more and spun around, instinctively nocking another arrow to face an unknown adversary. Behind him, where the deer had once been, smoldered a large circle of burnt grass and trees.

Many of the pines stood bare of their needles. The grass beyond the charring was flattened. A wisp of smoke curled in the air, carrying a strong burnt smell, which made him cough slightly. In the center of the blast radius lay a polished emerald stone. Mist snaked across the scorched area and swirled insubstantial tendrils over the stone.

Noctis watched for danger for a couple minutes, but the only thing that moved was the cooling mist. Breathing out a long sigh, he released the tension from his bow and moved forward confidently. Moonlight casting him in pale shadow as he stopped before the stone. He nudged it with an arrow, then waited, looking curiously at the stone. Nothing happened, so he bent down and picked it up cautiously.

Nature had never polished a stone as smooth as this one. Its flawless surface was dark green, except for thin veins of white that spiderwebbed across it. The stone was cool and frictionless under his fingers, almost like hardened silk. Oval and about a foot long, it weighed several pounds, though it felt lighter than it logically should have. 

Noctis found the stone utterly beautiful, but there was also a whisper of caution in his mind. Where had it come from? Did the stone have a purpose or was it merely a valuable piece of art? For surely it was valuable. Then a more disquieting thought came to him and he whispered to himself. “Was this sent here by accident, or am I supposed to have it for some reason?” If Noctis had learned anything from the old stories, it was to treat magic, and those who used it, with great caution.

Another thought came to him and he frowned deeply. What was he to do with the stone with the stone now it was here? It would be tiresome to carry, and there was still the chance it was dangerous. It might be better to leave it behind. A flicker of indecision ran through him, and he almost put it back, but something stayed his hand. At the very least, it might pay for some food, he decided with a shrug, tucking the stone into his pack. Besides it was lighter than the dear meat would have been and there was no chance of him bagging a deer now.

The glen was too exposed to make a safe camp, so he slipped back into the forest and spread his bedroll beneath the upturned roots of a fallen tree. After yet another cold dinner of bread and cheese, he wrapped himself in blankets and fell asleep, pondering everything that had occurred, and wondering just what Ardyn would have to say about all this when he inevitably told him the very strange tale...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :Edit: I have a Beta reader, big thanks to Eowyn (eowynsmusings) for taking this behemoth on. Even with all my other works she is working on. We have agreed on biweekly updates and chapter two is being beta read now. So I'll be posting it and one other this week. 
> 
> Chapters will get longer as this progresses and I will be updating regularly. Next chapter is over 4K words in length.
> 
> Feedback through comments, like with any writer, is extremely important and precious to me. Both constructive and positive. Kudos also really brighten my day so if you like this thus far please hit the little button <3 <3 <3.


	2. Palancar Valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis returns to his village, Galahd, and has an altercation with the butcher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next, and much longer, chapter in this journey. This chapter follows pretty closely with the original book, but we will start to see significant changes in the next chapter. To include Ardyn finally becoming more than a mentioned presence lol. 
> 
> Also, I've changed the names of most of the characters in the inheritance cycle. If I could not find a FFXV character for them I've given them a Latin or Celtic/Nordic name in keeping with FFXV.
> 
> Huge thank you to my beta reader Eowyn (eowynsmusings). She had to put up with my accidental use of Eragon instead of Noctis a couple times in this chapter. Unfortunate side effect of this story being to familiar in my head lol.

The sun rose the next morning with a glorious conflagration of pink and yellow. Typically, Noctis was  _ not _ a morning person; nor would he ever be one. However, a beautiful sunrise usually made it tolerable when waking early was necessary. The air was fresh, sweet, and unfortunately very cold. Ice edged the streams, and small pools were completely frozen over with an inch of ice. After a breakfast of porridge, Noctis returned to the glen and examined the charred area more thoroughly in daylight. However, the morning revealed no new details, so with a shrug, he started for home.

The rough game trail he followed was faintly worn and, in places, even nonexistent. Because it had been forged by animals, it often backtracked and took long detours. Yet, as Ardyn often pointed out, for all its flaws, this path was still the fastest and surest way out of the mountains. Noctis had once tried to simply make his own trail, marking trees to follow later. He had thought it was clever until he found himself lost. Ardyn had spent four days looking for him and, upon finding him, refused to speak to him for two weeks afterwards.

The Spine was one of the only places that Emperor Aldercapt could not call his own. Stories were still told about how half his army disappeared after marching into its ancient forest. A cloud of misfortune and bad luck seemed to hang over it. Though the trees grew tall and the sky shone brightly, few people could stay in the Spine for long without suffering some sort of accident. Noctis and Ardyn were two of those few—not through any particular gift, it seemed to him, but because they understood and respected the mountain. 

Persistent vigilance and sharp reflexes never hurt either. Noctis had started hunting in the Spine at age seven, but he had been hiking alongside Ardyn since he was only five years old. Even after all this time he was still wary of the mountains. Every time he thought they had surrendered their secrets, something happened to upset his understanding of them—like the stone’s appearance. He was still uncertain what this new secret meant, but hopefully after visiting the butchers it would no longer be his burden to ponder. 

Keeping up a brisk pace, Noct found that the leagues steadily disappeared. In late evening he arrived at the edge of a precipitous ravine. The Anora River rushed by far below, heading to Palancar Valley. Gorged with hundreds of tiny streams, the river was a brute force, battling against the rocks and boulders that barred its way. A low rumble filled the air. He camped in a thicket near the ravine and watched the moon rise before going to bed.

It grew even colder over the next day and a half. Noctis traveled quickly and saw little of the very wary wildlife. A bit past noon, he heard the Igualda Falls blanketing everything with the dull sound of a thousand splashes. The falls were one of the first dangers that Ardyn had taught him to respect. The trail he followed led him onto a moist slate outcropping, which the river sped past, flinging itself into empty air and down mossy cliffs.

Before him lay Palancar Valley, exposed like an unrolled map. The base of the Igualda Falls, more than a half-mile below, was the northernmost point of the valley. A little ways from the falls was Galahd; a cluster of brown buildings. White smoke rose from the chimneys, defiant of the wilderness around it. At this height, farms were small square patches no bigger than the end of his finger. The land around them was tan or sandy, where dead grass swayed in the wind. The Anora River wound from the falls toward Palancar’s southern end, reflecting great strips of sunlight. Far in the distance it flowed past the village of Therinsford and the lonely mountain Utgard. Beyond that, he knew only that it turned north and ran to the sea.

After  a pause, Noctis left the outcropping and started down the trail, grimacing sourly at the steep descent. When he arrived at the bottom, soft dusk was creeping over everything, blurring colors and shapes into gray masses. Galahd’s lights shimmered nearby in the twilight; the well built houses cast long shadows. Aside from Therinsford, Galahd was the only village in Palancar Valley. The settlement was secluded and surrounded by harsh, beautiful land. Few traveled here except merchants and trappers.

The village was composed of stout log buildings with low roofs— some thatched, others shingled. Smoke billowed from the chimneys, giving the air a woody smell. The buildings had wide porches where people gathered to talk and conduct business. Occasionally a window brightened as a candle or lamp was lit. Noctis turned curiously as he heard men talking loudly in the evening air, but their wives had scurried to fetch their husbands, scolding them for being late. Smiling at the familiar scene, Noctis continued to weave his way between the houses to the butcher’s shop; a broad, thick-beamed building. Overhead, the chimney belched black smoke. 

He pushed the door open. The spacious room was warm and well lit by a fire cracking in a stone fireplace. A bare counter stretched across the far side of the room. The floor was strewn with loose straw. Everything was scrupulously clean, as if the owner spent his leisure time digging in obscure crannies for minuscule pieces of filth. Behind the counter stood the butcher, Casus. A small man, he wore a cotton shirt and a long, bloodstained smock. An impressive array of knives swung from his belt. He had a sallow, pockmarked face, and his blue eyes were suspicious. He polished the counter with a ragged cloth.

Casus’ mouth twisted as Noctis entered. “Well, now, what have we here? It seems the mighty hunter has  _ finally _ deigned to join the rest of us mortals. So how many, exactly, did you bag this time then?” 

The man was obviously eyeing his tellingly slim pack, but Noctis tried to remember to keep his temper in check. “None, as you can clearly see,” and left it at that. He had never liked Casus. The butcher always treated him with disdain, as if he were something unclean. A widower, Casus seemed to care for only one person—his daughter, Luna, on whom he doted.

“I’m amazed,” said Casus with affected astonishment. Turning his back on Noctis to scrape something off the wall. “Which is your reason for coming here then, is it?”

“Yes,” Noctis admitted, dragging the word out in a low tone, his pride stinging as he uttered it.

“If that’s the case, let’s see your money,” Casus said, his tone all business now. He tapped his fingers when Noctis sighed, but otherwise remained silent. “Come on—either you have it or you don’t. Which is it?”

Taking a deep breath Noctis met the butcher’s impertinent gaze and said, “Look, I don’t have any money, but I do—”

“What, no money?” the butcher cut him off sharply, eyebrows raised. “And you expect to buy meat from me! Are the other merchants giving away their wares?  Besides,” he said abruptly, “it is late. Come back tomorrow  _ with money _ . I’m closed for the day.”

Noctis glared at the butcher. He had been raised to respect his elders, but Casus was really pushing it tonight. “I can’t wait until tomorrow, Casus. I might not have money, but I did find something to trade with.” He pulled the stone from his pack and set it gently on the scarred counter, where it gleamed with light from the dancing flames.

“Stole it is more likely,” muttered Casus, leaning forward with an interested expression nonetheless.

Ignoring the comment, Noctis asked, “Will you trade meat for it?” He was more than ready to get the meat he needed and get out of here. 

Casus picked up the stone and gauged its weight speculatively. The butcher ran his hands over its smoothness and inspected the white veins closely. With a calculating look, he set it down and looked at Noctis again. “It’s pretty, but how much is it worth?”

“I don’t know,” Noctis reluctantly admitted with a huff, “but the material is obviously valuable, no one would have gone to the trouble of shaping it unless it was.”

“Obviously,” said Casus with exaggerated patience. “But how much value? Since you don’t know, I suggest that you find a trader who does, or take my offer of three crowns.”

“That’s a miser’s bargain and you know it!” Noctis growled in protest. “It must be worth at least ten times that.” Three crowns would not even buy enough meat to last them a week.

Casus shrugged contemptuously. “If you don’t like my offer, wait until the traders arrive and see what they will give you. Either way, I tire of this conversation.”

The traders were a nomadic group of merchants and entertainers who visited Galahd every spring and winter. They bought whatever excess the villagers and local farmers had managed to grow or make, and sold what they needed to live through another year: seeds, animals, fabric, and supplies like salt and sugar.

But Noctis could not afford to wait until they arrived; it could be a while, and his family was dangerously low on food. “Fine, I accept,” he said sourly.

“Good, I’ll get you the meat. Not that it matters, but where did you find this?”

“Two nights ago in the Spine—”

“Get out!” demanded Casus, pushing the stone away towards Noctis. He stomped furiously to the end of the counter and started scrubbing old blood stains off a knife.

“Why?! What now?!” exclaimed Noctis. He picked the stone up to get it away from Casus’ potential wrath. Feeling a strange protectiveness over his find. 

“I won’t deal with anything you bring back from those damned mountains! Take your sorcerer’s stone elsewhere.” Casus’ hand suddenly slipped and he cut a finger on the knife, but he seemed not to notice. He continued to scrub, staining the blade with fresh blood.

“So you refuse to sell to me now!” Noctis could feel the stinging injustice of the turn of events like a hot knife in his chest. 

“Yes! Unless you pay with coins,” Casus growled, and hefted the knife, sidling away. “Go on, leave before I make you!”

The door behind them slammed open. Noctis whirled around, ready for more trouble, but relaxed as he recognized the hulking figure in the doorway. In stomped Bard, Ardyn's father, and one of Noctis’ favorite people. Casus’s daughter, Luna—a tall girl of sixteen—walked in behind him with a determined expression. Noctis was surprised to see her; she usually absented herself from any arguments involving her father. This time appeared to be a welcome exception.

Casus glanced at them warily, then started to accuse Noctis with a pointing finger. “He won’t—”

“Quiet,” announced Bard in a rumbling voice, cracking his knuckles at the same time. Bard was not a man you wanted to get on the wrong side of. His powerful arms were bare to the elbow; a great expanse of muscular chest was visible through the top of his shirt. Bard was Galahd’s unofficial keeper of the peace, despite being fifty-three years old, and he did his job well. “Casus, what have you done now?” 

The butcher seemed to shrink as he looked at Bard. Nonetheless he answered immediately with an exasperated, “Nothing!” He gave Noctis a murderous gaze, then spat, “The  _ boy _ came in here and started badgering  _ me. _ I asked him to leave, but he won’t budge. I even threatened him and he still ignored me!” 

“Is this true, Noctis?” the smith asked.

“No, its not.” replied Noctis, meeting the smith's gaze. “I offered this stone as a trade for some meat, and he accepted it. When I told him that I’d found it in the Spine, he refused to even touch it. Where something comes from doesn't change the fact it's valuable.”

Bard looked at the stone curiously, then returned his attention to the butcher. “Why won’t you trade with him, Casus? I’ve no love for the Spine myself, but as Noctis says, it obviously holds value. If it’s a question of the stone’s worth, I’ll back it with my own money.”

The question hung in the air for a moment. Then Casus licked his lips and said, “This… is my own store. I can do whatever I want.”

Luna stepped forward with purpose and smiled at her father, tucking away a loose strand of brilliantly blonde hair. “Father, Noctis is willing to pay and it is getting very late. Please, give him the meat, and then we can go home.”

Casus’ eyes narrowed dangerously. “Go back to the house; this is none of your business... I said go!” Luna’s face hardened and she drew herself up indignantly. For a moment, Noctis feared she would stand her ground. Then she marched out of the room with a stiff back and clenched fists

Noctis felt disapproval at how Casus had treated Luna, but dared not interfere. Bard tugged at his beard before saying reproachfully, “Fine, you can deal with me. What were you going to get, Noctis?” His voice reverberated through the room.

“Whatever the stone was worth.” Noctis thought privately, that out of everyone in the shop, Bard probably knew the most about the stones worth.

Pulling out a purse, Bard counted out a pile of coins. “Give me your best roasts and steaks. Make sure that it’s enough to fill Noctis’ pack.” The butcher hesitated, his gaze darting between Bard and Noctis. “Not selling to me would be a very bad idea,” Bard stated.

Glowering venomously, Casus slipped into the back room. A frenzy of chopping, wrapping, and low cursing reached them. After several uncomfortable minutes, he returned with an armful of wrapped meat. His face was expressionless as he accepted Bard’s coins, then proceeded to clean his knife, pretending that they were not there.

Bard scooped up the meat and walked outside without another word. Noctis hurried to fall in behind him, carrying his pack and the stone. The crisp night air rolled over their faces, refreshing after the stuffy shop. “Thank you, Bard. Uncle Jared will be pleased that we have food for the table.”

Bard laughed quietly. “Don’t thank me. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. Besides, I could not have faced Ardyn knowing I failed to give his best friend aid. Casus is a vicious troublemaker; it does him good to be humbled. Luna heard what was happening and ran to fetch me. Good thing I came too—the two of you were almost at blows. Sadly, I doubt he’ll serve you or any of your family the next time you go in there, even if you do have coins.” 

Noctis shrugged and let out a sigh of resignation. “It is what it is. To be honest with you, I doubt Ardyn will let me hunt alone for a while after he finds out about all this. So it's unlikely I'll need to bother Casus for a while. Do you know why he exploded like that? We’ve never been friendly, but he’s always taken our money. And I’ve never seen him treat Luna that way,” Noctis said, looking with some concern down the street at the house where Luna lived. 

Bard shrugged. “Ask your uncle. He knows more about the subject than I do.”

Noctis nodded and stuffed the meat into his pack. “Well, I guess I have one more reason to get home . . . have to solve this mystery. Oh, here, this is rightfully yours.” He proffered the stone, though something inside him felt wrong doing so.

Bard chuckled and shook his head. “No, you keep your strange rock. It's pretty, but it's no metal or ore I recognize. As for payment, Armaugh plans to leave for Feinster next spring. He wants to become a master smith, and I’m going to need an assistant to take his place in the forge. As Ardyn likes to remind me, I'm not getting any younger. You can come and work off the debt on your spare days.” 

Noctis gave the smith a bright smile, delighted. Bard had three sons, Ardyn was the eldest, with Armaugh being next, and Ulldor as the youngest. All three brothers worked in his forge. Taking one’s place was a generous offer. Ardyn had recently been threatening to teach him smith work anyway. “Sounds like a fair plan to me, I look forward to working with you.” He was glad that there was a way for him to pay Bard. His uncle would never accept charity. Then Noctis remembered what his cousin had told him before he had left on the hunt. “Ahhh, Nyx wanted me to give Luna a message, but since I can’t, can you get it to her discreetly?”

“Of course.”

“He wants her to know that he’ll come into town as soon as the merchants arrive and that he will see her then.”

“Is that all?”

Noct was slightly embarrassed, but Bard was like a second uncle to him, so he went ahead and said, “No, uh, he also wants her to know that she is the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and that she is always on his mind.”

Bard’s face broke into a broad grin, and he winked at Noctis. “Getting serious then, isn’t he?”

“Yes, sir,” Noctis answered with a quick smile. “Could you also thank her for me? I appreciate her standing up to her father for me. I hope that she isn’t punished because of it. Nyx might not forgive me if I got her into trouble.”

Bard chuckled softly and said, “I wouldn’t worry about it. Casus doesn’t know that she is the reason I was there. So I doubt he’ll be too hard on her. Before you go, will you eat with us? You could regale your tales to the boys and plan out those hunting trips with Ardyn.”

It was a very tempting offer, Noctis really wanted the company of his best friend after today, but he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Jared is expecting me and I shouldn't keep him waiting,” said Noctis, tying off the top of the pack. He hoisted it onto his back and started down the road, raising his hand in farewell. The sound of Bard’s chuckles following him down the path. 

The meat slowed him down, but he was eager to be home, and renewed vigor filled his steps. The village ended abruptly, and he left its warm lights behind. The pearlescent moon peeked over the mountains, bathing the land in a ghostly reflection of daylight. Everything looked bleached and flat. 

Near the end of his journey, he turned off the road, which continued south. A simple path led straight through waist-high grass and up a knoll, almost hidden by the shadows of protective elm trees. He crested the hill and saw a gentle light shining from his modest home. 

The house had a shingled roof and a brick chimney. Eaves hung over the whitewashed walls, shadowing the ground below. One side of the enclosed porch was filled with split wood, ready for the fire, which Nyx had undoubtedly chopped today. A jumble of farm tools were cluttered off to the other side… which were also likely to be his cousin’s work.

The house had been abandoned for half a century when they moved in after Jared’s wife, Marian, died. It was ten miles from Galahd, farther than anyone else’s. People considered the distance dangerous because the family could not rely on help from the village in times of trouble, but Noctis’ uncle would not listen. He insisted that he should enjoy a quiet life after living for sixty-two years. 

A hundred feet from the house, in a dull colored barn, lived two horses—Birka and Brugh—with chickens and a cow. Sometimes there was also a pig, but they had been unable to afford one this year. A wagon sat wedged between the stalls. On the edge of their fields, a thick line of trees traced along the Anora River which offered them plenty of water and shade. 

He saw a light move behind a window as he wearily reached the porch. “Uncle Jared, I'm home.” A small shutter slid back for   
a second, then the door swung inward.

Jared stood with his hand on the door. Smiling brightly at his nephew and quietly gesturing him inside. Noctis frowned as he noticed the way his uncle's worn clothes hung on him like rags on a stick frame. Brown eyes gazed longingly at Noctis’ pack. His uncle’s gray hair, which had once been white, was unusually unkempt. In short, he looked like a man who had been partly mummified before it was discovered that he was still alive. “Nyx is already sleeping,” was his answer to Noctis’ inquiring glance.

A lantern flickered on a wood table so old that the grain stood up in tiny ridges like a giant fingerprint. Near a woodstove were rows of cooking utensils tacked onto the wall with nails that Ardyn had made for Noctis. A second door opened to the rest of the house. The floor was made of boards polished smooth by years of tramping feet.

Pulling off his pack, Noctis sighed and started to take out the meat. His uncle’s response was predictable and swift in coming. “Did you buy meat, Noctis? Where did you get the money?” his uncle asked in concern as he saw the wrapped packages.

Noctis took a breath before answering. “No, Bard bought it for us.”

Jared sighed in obvious disappointment and frustration. “Noctis! You know how I feel about accepting charity. I won’t beg for our food. If we can’t feed ourselves, then we might as well move back into town. I moved out here to live an independent life with you boys.” Jared's face was full of unease and pride in equal measure. 

“I know that, and I didn’t accept charity,” Noctis explained. “Bard agreed to let me work off the debt this spring. He needs someone to help him because Armaugh is going away."

Jared put a hand on his shoulder and sighed heavily. “I know you mean well, lad, but have you thought about how you will get the time to work for him? Will you simply ignore all the things that need to be done here?” Jared asked in a explanatory tone that Noctis was very used to hearing.

With a sigh of his own, Noctis moved to hang his bow and quiver on hooks beside the front door. “I'm not sure how I’ll find the time,” he said resignedly. “I did find something that could be worth some money though.” He set the stone on the table for his uncle to look at.

Jared bent closer to over it: the worried look on his face became incredulous, and his fingers moved with a strange twitch. “You found this? In the Spine?”

“Yes, Uncle,” Noctis said with a small smile. He quickly explained what had happened while out hunting. “To make matters worse, I lost my best arrow when I shot at her. I’ll have to make more soon.” They stared at the stone in the near darkness for a time.

“How was the weather in the mountains? Did you stay warm enough?” his uncle asked, gently lifting the stone to test its weight. His back seemed to bother him a little with the weight, but he held on all the same, taking in its beauty with a twinkle in his eyes. 

“it was really cold,” was Noctis’ heartfelt reply. “ I kept warm enough though. It didn’t snow, thankfully, but it froze each night.”

Jared looked worried by the news. “Tomorrow you’ll have to help Nyx finish harvesting the barley. If we can get the squash picked, too, then the frost should not bother us too greatly.” He passed the stone to Noctis with a wide smile. “Here, keep it. When the traders come, we will find out what it is worth. Selling it is probably the best thing to do. The less we get ourselves involved with magic, the better... Why did Bard have to pay for the meat? Could you not have traded the stone for meat?”

It took only a moment for Noct to explain his argument with Casus. “I don’t understand what angered him so much. It's a stone, not a snake.”

Jared sat down in a chair and said, “Casus’ wife went over the Igualda Falls a year before you were born. He hasn’t been near the Spine since, nor had anything to do with it. But that’s no reason to refuse payment. I think he simply wanted to give you trouble, my boy.”

Noctis blinked away tiredness and said, “It’s good to be back home.” Jared stood up from his place at the table and hugged his nephew close. “Go, get some sleep, Noctis. I'll see what I can do about letting you sleep in a little bit.”

Noctis returned the hug before stumbling off towards his room. Once inside he pushed the stone under his bed, then fell onto the mattress.  _ Home _ . For the first time since before the hunt, he relaxed completely, and sleep overtook him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this week I'm afraid. I've started back in working on my other Ardynoct fic, Amor EX Anima. So updates for this will have to be knocked down to once a week. 
> 
> Feedback through comments, like with any writer, is extremely important and precious to me. Both constructive and positive. Kudos also really brighten my day so if you like this please hit the little button <3 <3 <3\. 
> 
> I promise y'all, things will pick up in next chapter. We are mostly through the introductory phase.


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